As the U.S.-Israel joint strikes against Iran enter a critical phase, U.S. intelligence agencies have recently detected clear indications that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is considering, and may have already begun, plans to provide advanced radar systems and strategic intelligence support to Tehran.
CBS News reported on Friday, April 17 citing multiple anonymous U.S. officials, that this development signals the emergence of an informal “strategic alliance” among China, Russia, and Iran aimed at counterbalancing U.S. influence in the region. The move not only threatens U.S. air superiority but also casts a shadow over the upcoming “Xi–Trump meeting” next month.
Last month, just days after the outbreak of the Iran war led by the United States and Israel, U.S. intelligence agencies detected signs that, as Russia and China sought to support Iran in weakening U.S.-Israeli military operations, the conflict could expand beyond the battlefield.
According to multiple informed U.S. officials, analysts at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), a branch of the Pentagon, assessed that the CCP was considering providing Iran with advanced radar systems.
At the same time, other reports indicate that Russia has shared intelligence with Iran regarding U.S. military deployments in the Middle East.
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Although CBS News had previously reported on Moscow transmitting information to Tehran, the CCP’s apparent willingness at the early stage of the conflict—and potentially for an extended period—suggests that a broader, informal alignment among major powers is forming to counter growing U.S. ambitions in the region.
Several unnamed U.S. officials told CBS News that Beijing had considered supplying Iran with an X-band radar system. They declined to be identified due to national security concerns. This technology would significantly enhance Iran’s ability to detect and track incoming threats such as low-flying drones and cruise missiles, and improve the protection of its air defense systems against advanced strikes.
Officials said it remains unclear whether the CCP ultimately proceeded with the transfer, but the assessment highlights Washington’s concern that the Iran conflict is attracting not only regional adversaries but also global competitors willing to provide critical support without direct military involvement.
The Defense Intelligence Agency did not respond to requests for comment. The CIA declined to comment. The White House also did not respond.
IRGC allegedly used Chinese spy satellites
On Wednesday, the Financial Times reported that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps used spy satellites secretly purchased from a Chinese firm known as “Earth Eyes” to target U.S. bases in the Middle East, citing leaked Iranian military documents.
According to two informed U.S. officials, intelligence assessments show that Tehran had previously used satellite imagery provided by Chinese sources, including during the current conflict involving Israeli and U.S. forces. The officials could not confirm whether the images were supplied by Earth Eyes.
A Pentagon report released in December on China’s military stated that as of 2024, Chinese commercial satellite companies had engaged in business exchanges with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The 2026 Annual Threat Assessment—a declassified intelligence community report on global security risks—warns that China is far ahead of other countries in developing space capabilities.
The report states: “The PRC has surpassed Russia as the United States’ primary competitor in space. Beijing’s rapid deployment of space capabilities enables it to advance its foreign policy objectives, challenge U.S. military and technological advantages in space, and project power globally.”
Two officials said U.S. intelligence also indicates that Beijing has considered transferring air defense systems to Iran, possibly via third countries to conceal direct involvement. CNN reported last week that the intelligence community has detected preparations by the CCP to deliver man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) to Iran.
Senator Mark Warner, Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a Democrat from Virginia, described reports that China may provide new air defense systems to Iran as “significant.”
“They are trying to hide it. The Chinese side says this is their private sector. We all know there is no real private sector in China. Every company must first and foremost be loyal to the Communist Party,” Warner said on Sunday on CBS’s Face the Nation, hosted by Margaret Brennan.
President Trump is expected to visit China next month for a high-profile summit shaped by multiple intertwined crises and strategic interests. In an interview aired Wednesday on Fox Business, Trump said he had sent a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping urging him not to supply weapons to Iran, though he did not disclose when the letters were exchanged.
Last week, Trump warned that countries supplying weapons to Iran would immediately face a 50 percent tariff.
